


The First of Lasts

by UlisaBarbic



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Cell Games Saga, Child Soldiers, Childhood, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family, Family Bonding, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Gohan is a Daddy’s boy, Goku loves his family, Good Parent Son Goku (Dragon Ball), Growing Up, Hyperbolic Time Chamber | The Room of Spirit and Time, Smart Son Goku (Dragon Ball), father-son bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 18:34:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29888781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UlisaBarbic/pseuds/UlisaBarbic
Summary: When they entered the Time Chamber to prepare for Cell, Goku thought he was ready for anything.Well, Warrior Goku might have been. Father Goku is struggling a bit.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 21





	The First of Lasts

It was an odd feeling.

Goku stood just outside the collection of bed and kitchen, gazing out over the emptiness that was the Time Chamber. There was a type of quiet here that was impossible to understand until you experienced it. Utter nothingness to it—no birds, no rivers, no breeze. Just a whole lot of wide open space and too little to fill it.

Quite easy to give into anxiety in here. He’d succumbed to it as a child after so short a time. It was amazing how much the body and mind craved others. As much as he used to think otherwise, strength was not just found in yourself.

Smiling lightly, he cocked his head, listening and returned to contemplation as he heard his son’s light breathing. The kid really was giving it his all and just when Goku couldn’t imagine they could push anymore, there the boy was with more passion than ten warriors. 

It made him so proud he could burst.

But it also made him consider how utterly unfair this was. His son was determined to help—that couldn’t be changed as the boy had a stout heart and could be just as stubborn as his mom—and Goku couldn’t deny that they needed the help. 

There was a strength in his son that not even he could touch. It was an alien concept to come to terms with. Goku thought he had conquered it pretty well. After all, he wanted nothing more than his son to be better than him because, well, he was, far as the father was concerned.

Last night had thrown his spirit though. Dampened it. Darkened it.

Looking down at his hand, Goku fingered the tiny item. “Such a puny little thing and you make me fall apart.”

“ _Gohan! You done, yet?”_

_“Almost!” The call that was most definitely through a mouthful of water and toothpaste. Goku could just picture the boy half spitting as he answered._

_Goku laughed in thought and flopped on the bed. He and Gohan had begun a habit of telling stories at night. Sometimes real ones, sometimes fake but it was a nice way to wind down. Goku would sometimes go to his own bed after Gohan fell asleep but sometimes not. It was certainly a perk to the Time Chamber, this extra time together._

_The curtains pushed aside a bit and Gohan trotted in, hurriedly due to the coldness of the floor on bare feet. As the boy jumped into the bed and nuzzled under the covers next to his father, he held his hand out._

_Goku responded as he had done many times before by presenting a flat palm though what could Gohan have possibly found in here—_

_A light, white shaded item lightly bounced in his hand._

_Gohan grinned and patted his right cheek. “It finally came out, Dad!”_

_“Well, look at that!”_

_Goku had seen his share of baby teeth in the last few years. That was definitely Gohan’s right cuspid. He could see the tiny hole it had left behind. Guess some things didn’t get paused for training!_

_“We’ll hafta ask the Paozu bird to come get it when we go home.”_

_Gohan smiled. He’d known for some time that the Paozu bird was most likely his parents—though he could not be certain as he had never spied them in the act. All he knew was the Paozu bird sure seemed to know his favorite treats considering Gohan had never seen the creature. “That’ll make her smile a little. Mom’ll be sad she missed this.”_

_Leaning back, rubbing the boy’s shoulder, Goku advised. “Eh, I bet the next one will come out at home. I’ll make sure not to be too rough with the punches, okay so we can make sure she gets the next one.”_

_Silence lingered a moment before Gohan said, “Dad, there won’t be a next time. That’s my last one.”_

_An odd electric feeling cut through Goku’s spine. What? No more? That was—_

_“That’s your last baby tooth?”_

_Gohan gently pulled his gums and ran his fingers over top and bottom. “Yeah, see?”_

_Sure enough, now that he was looking, Goku saw only large teeth or teeth still growing in. All the little ones were gone._

_An odd sadness took his chest like a punch. No, more like an acid that started inside and corroded out. When had THIS happened? How could his son be big enough to not have anymore baby teeth?_

_Weren’t...no, he’d just assumed there would always be ‘one more.’ During the training with Piccolo, Gohan would lose up to three at a time but it never occurred to Goku it was a ticking time clock. Not because he didn’t know but because he never gave much thought to time slipping away._

_He lived in the moment for the most part._

_Enjoy memories and remember what they made you into but he never spent much time fretting over what could or may happen. Just had not been his way._

_Now, he felt lost._

_But he smiled at his son and said “Well, guess that’s a sure sign you’re growin’, huh?”_

Goku frowned, leaned against the wall, gently rolling the tooth in his palm. He’d kept a smile for Gohan but now that he was asleep, Goku could ponder.

It seemed so wrong. Gohan couldn’t be that old yet. Yet, he was. He was closing in to Goku’s shoulder in height, a big step from the boy that used to be able to rest his cheek on Goku’s hip. 

Made this even more wrong.

Sighing, Goku cursed the circumstances. By all rights, he should have been preparing and Gohan shouldn’t have had to be involved at all. Maybe it would be Gohan didn’t have to fight but a sinking feeling in Goku’s spirit told him otherwise. He could grow as strong as he could and make Gohan as strong as he could.

But it still wasn’t right. His son was young though you’d be forgiven for forgetting that. Maybe it had been a coping mechanism to just picture him as the great fighter he was and not as the little boy he also was but Goku couldn’t unsee either side now.

“Dad?”

Turning, Goku planted a smile on his face. “Hey, little man. What are you doing up?”

Shrugging, the boy made his way to the man’s side. “Woke up. Saw you weren’t in bed.” He leaned against his father’s flank. “Dad, did I make you upset earlier? With the silly tooth?”

Closing his eyes, Goku shook his head. “Not your fault, son.”

“But you ARE upset,” came the accusation.

“I’m sad, not upset.”

Mouth down turned, Gohan parroted. “Sad?”

“Sad.” Goku repeated. “Means you ain’t little anymore and you ain’t really had the chance to be little at all.”

Gohan wrapped his arms around his father. “Dad, it’s just my teeth. I’ve still got a lot of growing to do.”

“But it’s not fair. Life’s not been fair to you. I wish I coulda fixed that.” He looked down, let his fingers caress the black hair from the boy’s eyes. “Your mom told me how you lost your first tooth when I was stuck on Yardrat. And how you didn’t need help to take a bath or cut your food or get dressed or none of that.” Chuckling sadly, he said “It was a big blow for her.”

“And you?” Gohan asked. “Or you wouldn’t be bringing it up.”

“Me too.” He admitted. “I think it was easier for me cause you were older when I made it back home. So if I started to be sad, I could say it was normal because you were older and that’s what older kids did.” He fingered the small tooth again. “I guess maybe this was a catch up of all those times.Cause warriors getting ready to fight Cell shouldn’t have just lost their last baby tooth. If I had my choice, you wouldn’t be. Strong as you are,” he added at his son’s indignant look. “Not because you can’t but because you shouldn’t have to.” He sighed. “But, our lives aren’t exactly normal, are they?”

Shaking his head, Gohan squeezed his father again. “No and that’s okay, Dad. We’ll get through this and...and then we can just be a family again. No worrying about this bad guy or that bad guy. Just you, me and Mom.”

Oh, Goku looked forward to that. Much as a good fight and a strong opponent was appealing, the idea of just being able to go walking with his family warmed his heart. He’d spent so much of the past few years either fighting or preparing to fight. Was it so wrong to...want just time for those he loved? 

Looking down at his son again, Goku thumbed the boy’s nose. “And look at you, givin’ ME the pep talk. But you’re right. Think you can forgive your ol’ Dad for gettin’ sentimental?”

“You’re a parent, Dad. It’s a rule, I think, you have to get gushy sometimes.” Gohan wrinkled his nose. “Least you’re not bein’ all embarrassing like Mom does with the baby stories.”

Grinning with an evil glint in his eye, Goku teased, “I could, you know. Ooo, I’ve got some good ones.”

“Stop!” Gohan commanded and covered his ears. “Can’t hear you!”

Catching the boy under the arms with a light tickle to his ribs, Goku countered. “Aw, you’ve got my hearin’ so I know that ain’t true. See, you were so determined to follow me and you were havin’ nothin’ to do with that playpen...”

“Dad!”

Amid the playful teasing, Goku pocketed the tooth. A reminder of sorts. Whatever he had to do for this threat to be over and done with, he would. If he absolutely could not match Cell, he was going to make sure his son could. That his son saw ALL the Android’s moves before he even began to step out on the field.

This was the first of lasts. Last times like when Gohan went from Daddy to Dad. Or when he said he didn’t need a tuck in anymore. Or when he no longer wrinkled his nose and gagged at the thought of vegetables. Or when girls were no longer ‘just cute.’

Gohan would become a teenager soon.

This was the first of a series of many, many lasts. But Goku, all his strength be damned, would make sure it wasn’t the last of lasts.


End file.
